Binchois

Binchois, Binchois also spelled Binchoys, byname of Gilles de Binche, de Binche also spelled de Bins, (born c. 1400, Mons, Hainaut [now in Belgium]—died September 20, 1460, Soignies, near Mons), Flemish composer of church music and of secularchansons that were among the finest of their genre, being notable for their elegance of line and grave sweetness of expression. The upper voice in Binchois’s mostly three-part songs is considered to be particularly lyrical.

Gilles’s father, Jean de Binche, was connected to the court of Hainaut. Binchois was in Paris in 1424 serving William de la Pole, earl (later duke) of Suffolk, and returned with him to Hainaut in 1425. In 1430 Binchois joined the chapel of Philip III (the Good) of Burgundy, where he remained until his death, eventually becoming second chaplain and cantor. The Burgundian court was in most ways the predominant court of the region, and it was equated by those who enjoyed the duke’s patronage with the court of Alexander the Great. Binchois was joined there by the likes of fellow composer Guillaume Dufay and Flemish painter Jan van Eyck, who is believed to have painted a portrait of Binchois. By 1437 Binchois had become canon at Mons, Soignies, and Cassel.

In both his sacred and secular music, Binchois cultivated the gently subtle rhythm, the suavely graceful melody, and the smooth treatment of dissonance of his English contemporaries. The lyrics to many of his songs were poems by many of the best-known poets of the day, including Charles, duc d’Orléans, and Christine de Pisan. His music, especially that of his chansons, was widely known and has been shown to be the basis of works by other composers. A landmark 1957 edition of Binchois’s secular music (since amended) was edited by Wolfgang Rehm, and The Sacred Music of Gilles Binchois, edited by Philip Kaye, was published in 1992.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper, Senior Editor.